Madonna

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Madonna (disambiguation).
"Queen of Pop" redirects here. For other uses, see Queen of Pop (disambiguation).

Madonna

Madonna performing on her Rebel Heart Tour in 2015

Born Madonna Louise Ciccone

August 16, 1958 (age 64)

Bay City, Michigan, U.S.

 Singer-songwriter
Occupations
actress

dancer

record producer

director

author

businesswoman

Years active 1979–present

Organizations Ray of Light Foundation

Raising Malawi

Works Albums

songs 
singles

unreleased

videos

concerts

films

books

fashion brands
Sean Penn
Spouses

(m. 1985; div. 1989)
Guy Ritchie

(m. 2000; div. 2008)

Partner Carlos Leon (1995–1997)

Children 6

Relatives Christopher Ciccone (brother)

Awards Over 300 wins

Musical career

Origin New York City, U.S.

Genres Pop

electronica
 dance

Instruments Vocals

guitar

Labels Sire

Warner

Maverick

Interscope

Formerly of Breakfast Club

Emmy

Website madonna.com

Signature

Madonna Louise Ciccone[a] (/tʃɪˈkoʊni/; Italian: [tʃikˈkoːne]; born August 16, 1958) is an

American singer-songwriter and actress. Known as the "Queen of Pop", Madonna has
been widely recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production,
songwriting, and visual presentation. She has pushed the boundaries of artistic
expression in mainstream music, while continuing to maintain control over every aspect
of her career.[2] Her works, which incorporate social, political, sexual,
and religious themes, have generated both controversy and critical acclaim. A
prominent cultural icon crossing both the 20th and 21st centuries, Madonna remains
one of the most "well-documented figures of the modern age",[3] with a broad amount
of scholarly reviews and literature works on her, as well as an academic mini
subdiscipline devoted to her named Madonna studies.
Madonna moved to New York City in 1978 to pursue a career in modern dance. After
performing as a drummer, guitarist, and vocalist in the rock bands Breakfast Club and
Emmy, she rose to solo stardom with her debut studio album, Madonna (1983). She
followed it with a series of successful albums, including all-time bestsellers Like a
Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986) and The Immaculate Collection (1990), as well
as Grammy Award winners Ray of Light (1998) and Confessions on a Dance
Floor (2005). Madonna has amassed many chart-topping singles throughout her career,
including "Like a Virgin", "La Isla Bonita", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Take a Bow",
"Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes".
Madonna's popularity was enhanced by roles in films such as Desperately Seeking
Susan (1985), Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992), and Evita (1996).
While Evita won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress, many of her other films
were not as well received. As a businesswoman, Madonna founded the
company Maverick in 1992. It included Maverick Records, one of the most
successful artist-run labels in history. Her other ventures include fashion brands, written
works, health clubs, and filmmaking. She contributes to various charities, having
founded the Ray of Light Foundation in 1998 and Raising Malawi in 2006.
With sales of over 300 million records worldwide, Madonna is the best-selling female
recording artist of all time. She is the most successful solo artist in the history of the
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and has achieved the most number-one singles by a
woman in Australia, Canada, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. With a revenue of
over U.S. $1.5 billion from her concert tickets, she remains the highest-grossing female
touring artist worldwide. Forbes has named Madonna the annual top-earning female
musician a record 11 times across four decades (1980s–2010s). She was inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, her first year of eligibility. Madonna was ranked
as the greatest woman in music by VH1, and as the greatest music video artist ever
by MTV and Billboard. Rolling Stone also listed her among its greatest
artists and greatest songwriters of all time.

Life and career

1958–1978: Early life
Madonna Louise Ciccone[4] was born on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan, to
Catholic parents Madonna Louise (née Fortin) and Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone. [5]
[6]
 Her father's parents were Italian emigrants from Pacentro while her mother was
of French-Canadian descent.[7] Tony Ciccone worked as an optics engineer
for Chrysler and General Dynamics on military projects. Since Madonna had the same
name as her mother, family members called her "Little Nonnie". [8] Her mother died of
breast cancer on December 1, 1963. She later adopted Veronica as a confirmation
name when getting confirmed in the Catholic Church in 1966.[9] Madonna was raised in
the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now Rochester Hills), alongside her
two older brothers, Anthony and Martin, and three younger siblings, Paula, Christopher,
and Melanie.[10] In 1966, Tony married the family's housekeeper Joan Gustafson. They
had two children, Jennifer and Mario.[10] Madonna resented her father for getting
remarried and began rebeling against him, which strained their relationship for many
years afterward.[5]
Madonna attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Catholic Elementary Schools, and
West Middle School. She was known for her high grade point average and achieved
notoriety for her unconventional behavior. Madonna would perform cartwheels and
handstands in the hallways between classes, dangle by her knees from the monkey
bars during recess, and pull up her skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her
underwear.[11] She later admitted to seeing herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was
searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way. I cared about being good
at something. I didn't shave my underarms and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls
do. But I studied and I got good grades... I wanted to be somebody." [5]
Madonna's father put her in classical piano lessons, but she later convinced him to allow
her to take ballet lessons.[12] Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, persuaded her to
pursue a career in dance.[13] Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School and
became a straight-A student as well as a member of its cheerleading squad. [14][15] After
graduating in January 1976, she received a dance scholarship to the University of
Michigan and studied over the summer at the American Dance Festival in Durham,
North Carolina.[16][17]
In 1978, Madonna dropped out of college and relocated to New York City. [18] She said of
her move to New York, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever
gotten a taxi cab. I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever
done."[19] Madonna soon found an apartment in the Alphabet City neighborhood of
the East Village[20] and had little money while working at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern
dance troupes, taking classes at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and
eventually performing with Pearl Lang Dance Theater.[21][17][22] She also studied dance
under the tutelage of Martha Graham, the noted American dancer and choreographer.
[23]
 Madonna started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists. One night,
while returning from a rehearsal, a pair of men held her at knifepoint and forced her to
perform fellatio. She later found the incident to be "a taste of my weakness, it showed
me that I still could not save myself in spite of all the strong-girl show. I could never
forget it."[24]
1979–1983: Career beginnings, rock bands, and Madonna
In 1979, Madonna became romantically involved with musician Dan Gilroy.[25] Shortly
after meeting him, she successfully auditioned to perform in Paris with French disco
artist Patrick Hernandez as his backup singer and dancer.[21] During her three months
with Hernandez's troupe, she also traveled to Tunisia before returning to New York in
August 1979.[25][26] Madonna moved into an abandoned synagogue where Gilroy lived and
rehearsed in Corona, Queens.[21][11] Together they formed her first band, the Breakfast
Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar. [27] While with the band,
Madonna briefly worked as a coat-check girl at the Russian Tea Room, and she made
her acting debut in the low-budget indie film A Certain Sacrifice, which was not released
until 1985.[28][29] In 1980, Madonna left the Breakfast Club with drummer Stephen Bray,
who was her boyfriend in Michigan, and they formed the band Emmy and the Emmys.
[30]
 They rekindled their romance and moved into the Music Building in Manhattan.[21] The
two began writing songs together and they recorded a four-song demo tape in
November 1980, but soon after, Madonna decided to promote herself as a solo artist. [31][21]
In March 1981, Camille Barbone, who ran Gotham Records in the Music Building,
signed Madonna to a contract with Gotham and worked as her manager until February
1982.[32][33][34] Madonna frequented nightclubs to get disc jockeys to play her demo.
[35]
 DJ Mark Kamins at Danceteria took an interest in her music and they began dating.
[36]
 Kamins arranged a meeting with Madonna and Seymour Stein, the president of Sire
Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records.[35] Madonna signed a deal for a total of
three singles, with an option for an album.[37]
Kamins produced her debut single, "Everybody", which was released in October 1982.
[35]
 In December 1982, Madonna performed the song live for the first time at Danceteria. [38]
[39]
 She made her first television appearance performing "Everybody" on Dancin' On
Air in January 1983.[40] In February 1983, she promoted the single with nightclub
performances in the United Kingdom. [41] Her second single, "Burning Up", was released
in March 1983. Both singles reached number three on Billboard magazine's Hot Dance
Club Songs chart.[42] During this period, Madonna was in a relationship with artist Jean-
Michel Basquiat and living at his loft in SoHo.[43][44] Basquiat introduced her to art
curator Diego Cortez, who had managed some punk bands and co-founded the Mudd
Club.[45] Madonna invited Cortez to be her manager, but he declined. [45]
Following the success of the singles, Warner hired Reggie Lucas to produce her self-
titled debut album, Madonna.[46] However, Madonna was dissatisfied with the completed
tracks and disagreed with Lucas' production techniques, so she decided to seek
additional help.[47] She asked John "Jellybean" Benitez, the resident DJ at Fun House, to
help finish the album's production and a romance ensued. [48] Benitez remixed most of the
tracks and produced "Holiday", which was her first international top-ten song. The
album was released in July 1983, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200. It
yielded two top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "Borderline" and "Lucky Star".[49] In
the fall of 1983, Madonna's new manager, Freddy DeMann, secured a meeting for her
with film producer Jon Peters, who asked her to play the part of a club singer in the
romantic drama Vision Quest.[50]
1984–1987: Like a Virgin, first marriage, True Blue, and Who's That
Girl
In January 1984, Madonna gained more exposure by performing on American
Bandstand and Top of the Pops.[51][52] Her image, performances, and music videos
influenced young girls and women.[53] Madonna's style became one of the female fashion
trends of the 1980s.[54] Created by stylist and jewelry designer Maripol, the look
consisted of lace tops, skirts over capri pants, fishnet stockings, jewelry bearing
the crucifix, bracelets, and bleached hair.[55][56][57] Madonna's popularity continued to rise
globally with the release of her second studio album, Like a Virgin, in November 1984. It
became her first number-one album in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Spain, the UK, and the US.[58][59] Like a Virgin became the first album by a female to sell
over five million copies in the U.S.[60] It was later certified diamond by the Recording
Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold over 21 million copies worldwide.
[61]

Madonna performing at the Live Aid charity concert on July 1985

The album's title track served as its first single, and topped the Hot 100 chart for six
consecutive weeks.[62] It attracted the attention of conservative organizations who
complained that the song and its accompanying video promoted premarital sex and
undermined family values,[63] and moralists sought to have the song and video banned.
[64]
 Madonna received huge media coverage for her performance of "Like a Virgin" at the
first 1984 MTV Video Music Awards. Wearing a wedding dress and white gloves,
Madonna appeared on stage atop a giant wedding cake and then rolled around
suggestively on the floor. MTV retrospectively considered it one of the "most iconic" pop
performances of all time.[65] The second single, "Material Girl", reached number two on
the Hot 100.[49] While filming the single's music video, Madonna started dating
actor Sean Penn. They married on her birthday in 1985.[66]
Madonna entered mainstream films in February 1985, beginning with her cameo
in Vision Quest. The soundtrack contained two new singles, her U.S. number-one
single, "Crazy for You", and another track "Gambler".[49] She also played the title role in
the 1985 comedy Desperately Seeking Susan, a film which introduced the song "Into
the Groove", her first number-one single in the UK.[67] Her popularity caused the film to
be perceived as a Madonna vehicle, despite how she was not billed as a lead actress.
[68]
 The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby named it one of the ten best films of
1985.[69]
Beginning in April 1985, Madonna embarked on her first concert tour in North
America, the Virgin Tour, with the Beastie Boys as her opening act. The tour saw the
peak of Madonna wannabe phenomenon, with many female attendees dressing like
her.[70] At that time, she released two more hits, "Angel" and "Dress You Up", making all
four singles from the album peak inside the top five on the Hot 100 chart. [71] In
July, Penthouse and Playboy magazines published a number of nude photos of
Madonna, taken when she moonlighted as an art model in 1978.[72] She had posed for
the photographs because she needed money at the time, and was paid as little as $25 a
session.[73] The publication of the photos caused a media uproar, but Madonna remained
"unapologetic and defiant".[74] The photographs were ultimately sold for up to $100,000.
[73]
 She referred to these events at the 1985 outdoor Live Aid charity concert, saying that
she would not take her jacket off because "[the media] might hold it against me ten
years from now."[74][75]
In June 1986, Madonna released her third studio album, True Blue, which was inspired
by and dedicated to her husband Penn.[76] Rolling Stone was impressed with the effort,
writing that the album "sound[s] as if it comes from the heart". [77] Five singles were
released—"Live to Tell", "Papa Don't Preach", "True Blue", "Open Your Heart", and "La
Isla Bonita"—all of which reached number one in the U.S. or the UK. [49][78] The album
topped the charts in 28 countries worldwide, an unprecedented achievement at the
time, and remains Madonna's bestselling studio album, with sales of 25 million copies.[79]
[80]
 True Blue was featured in the 1992 edition of Guinness World Records as the
bestselling album by a woman of all time.[81]
Madonna starred in the critically panned film Shanghai Surprise in 1986, for which she
received her first Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress.[82] She made her theatrical
debut in a production of David Rabe's Goose and Tom-Tom; the film and play both co-
starred Penn.[83] The next year, Madonna was featured in the film Who's That Girl. She
contributed four songs to its soundtrack, including the title track and "Causing a
Commotion".[84] Madonna embarked on the Who's That Girl World Tour in June 1987,
which continued until September.[85][86] It broke several attendance records, including over
130,000 people in a show near Paris, which was then a record for the highest-attended
female concert of all time.[87] Later that year, she released a remix album of past
hits, You Can Dance, which reached number 14 on the Billboard 200.[58][88] After a
tumultuous two years' marriage, Madonna filed for divorce from Penn on December 4,
1987, but withdrew the petition a few weeks later. [89][90]
1988–1991: Like a Prayer, Dick Tracy, and Truth or Dare

Madonna performing during one of the dates of 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour, which was named one of
the greatest concert tours of the past 50 years by Rolling Stone magazine[91]

She made her Broadway debut in the production of Speed-the-Plow at the Royale

Theatre from May to August 1988.[92][93] According to the Associated Press, Madonna filed
an assault report against Penn after an alleged incident at their Malibu home during the
New Year's weekend.[94][95] Madonna filed for divorce on January 5, 1989, and the
following week she reportedly asked that no criminal charges be pressed. [96][94]
In January 1989, Madonna signed an endorsement deal with soft-drink
manufacturer Pepsi.[97] In one Pepsi commercial, she debuted "Like a Prayer", the lead
single and title track from her fourth studio album. The music video featured Catholic
symbols such as stigmata and cross burning, and a dream of making love to a saint,
leading the Vatican to condemn the video. Religious groups sought to ban the
commercial and boycott Pepsi products. Pepsi revoked the commercial and canceled
her sponsorship contract.[98][99] "Like a Prayer" topped the charts in many countries,
becoming her seventh number-one on the Hot 100. [84][49]
Madonna co-wrote and co-produced the album Like a Prayer with Patrick
Leonard, Stephen Bray, and Prince.[100] Music critic J. D. Considine from Rolling
Stone praised it "as close to art as pop music gets ... proof not only that Madonna
should be taken seriously as an artist but that hers is one of the most compelling voices
of the Eighties."[101] Like a Prayer peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold
15 million copies worldwide.[58][102] Other successful singles from the album were "Express
Yourself" and "Cherish", which both peaked at number two in the US, as well as the UK
top-five "Dear Jessie" and the U.S. top-ten "Keep It Together".[84][49] By the end of the
1980s, Madonna was named as the "Artist of the Decade" by
MTV, Billboard and Musician magazine.[103][104][105]
Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney in the film Dick Tracy (1990), with Warren
Beatty playing the title role.[106] The film went to number one on the U.S. box office for two
weeks and Madonna received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress.[107] To
accompany the film, she released the soundtrack album, I'm Breathless, which included
songs inspired by the film's 1930s setting. It also featured the U.S. number-one song
"Vogue" and "Sooner or Later".[108][109] While shooting the film, Madonna began a
relationship with Beatty, which dissolved shortly after the premiere. [110][111]
In April 1990, Madonna began her Blond Ambition World Tour, which ended in August.
[112]
 Rolling Stone called it an "elaborately choreographed, sexually provocative
extravaganza" and proclaimed it "the best tour of 1990". [113] The tour generated strong
negative reaction from religious groups for her performance of "Like a Virgin", during
which two male dancers caressed her body before she simulated masturbation. [85] In
response, Madonna said, "The tour in no way hurts anybody's sentiments. It's for open
minds and gets them to see sexuality in a different way. Their own and others". [114] The
live recording of the tour won Madonna her first Grammy Award, in the category of Best
Long Form Music Video.[115]
The Immaculate Collection, Madonna's first greatest-hits compilation album, was
released in November 1990. It included two new songs, "Justify My Love" and "Rescue
Me".[116] The album was certified diamond by RIAA and sold over 30 million copies
worldwide, becoming the best-selling compilation album by a solo artist in history. [117]
[118]
 "Justify My Love" reached number one in the U.S. becoming her ninth number-one
on the Hot 100.[49] Her then-boyfriend model Tony Ward co-starred in the music video,
which featured scenes of sadomasochism, bondage, same-sex kissing, and brief nudity.
[119][120]
 The video was deemed too sexually explicit for MTV and was banned from the
network.[121] Her first documentary film, Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with
Madonna outside North America), was released in May 1991. [122] Chronicling her Blond
Ambition World Tour, it became the highest-grossing documentary of all time
(surpassed eleven years later by Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine).[123]
1992–1997: Maverick, Erotica, Sex, Bedtime Stories, Evita, and
motherhood
Madonna during one of the concerts of 1993's the Girlie Show, which was launched to promote her fifth studio
album Erotica. For the album, she incorporated a dominatrix alter-ego named Mistress Dita, based on
actress Dita Parlo.[124]

In 1992, Madonna starred in A League of Their Own as Mae Mordabito, a baseball
player on an all-women's team. It reached number one on the box-office and became
the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year in the U.S. [125] She recorded the film's theme
song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became her tenth number-one on
the Billboard Hot 100, the most by any female artist at the time.[49] In April, Madonna
founded her own entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record company
(Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music
publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing and merchandising divisions. [126] The
deal was a joint venture with Time Warner and paid Madonna an advance of
$60 million. It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, the highest rate in
the industry at the time, equaled only by Michael Jackson's royalty rate established a
year earlier with Sony.[126] Her company later went on to become one of the most
successful artist-run labels in history, producing multi-platinum artists such as Alanis
Morissette and Michelle Branch.[127][128] Later that year, Madonna co-sponsored the first
museum retrospective for her former boyfriend Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Whitney
Museum of American Art.[129][130]
In October 1992, Madonna simultaneously released her fifth studio album, Erotica, and
her coffee table book, Sex.[131] Consisting of sexually provocative and explicit images,
photographed by Steven Meisel, the book received strong negative reaction from the
media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $50 each in a matter of
days.[132][133] The widespread backlash overshadowed Erotica, which ended up as her
lowest selling album at the time.[133] Despite positive reviews, it became her first studio
album since her debut album not to score any chart-topper in the U.S. The album
entered the Billboard 200 at number two and yielded the Hot 100 top-ten hits "Erotica"
and "Deeper and Deeper".[58][49] Madonna continued her provocative imagery in the
1993 erotic thriller, Body of Evidence, a film which contained scenes
of sadomasochism and bondage. It was poorly received by critics.[134][135] She also starred
in the film Dangerous Game, which was released straight to video in North
America. The New York Times described the film as "angry and painful, and the pain
feels real."[136]
In September 1993, Madonna embarked on the Girlie Show, in which she dressed as a
whip-cracking dominatrix surrounded by topless dancers. In Puerto Rico she rubbed the
island's flag between her legs on stage, resulting in outrage among the audience. [85] In
March 1994, she appeared as a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman, using
profanity that required censorship on television, and handing Letterman a pair of her
panties and asking him to smell it.[137] The releases of her sexually explicit book, album
and film, and the aggressive appearance on Letterman all made critics question
Madonna as a sexual renegade. Critics and fans reacted negatively, who commented
that "she had gone too far" and that her career was over. [138] Around this time, Madonna
briefly dated basketball player Dennis Rodman and rapper Tupac Shakur.[139][140][141]
Biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli described her ballad "I'll Remember" (1994) as an
attempt to tone down her provocative image. The song was recorded for Alek
Keshishian's 1994 film With Honors.[142] She made a subdued appearance with
Letterman at an awards show and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after
realizing that she needed to change her musical direction in order to sustain her
popularity.[143] With her sixth studio album, Bedtime Stories (1994), Madonna employed a
softer image to try to improve the public perception. [143] The album debuted at number
three on the Billboard 200 and generated two U.S. top-five hits, "Secret" and "Take a
Bow", the latter topping the Hot 100 for seven weeks, the longest period of any
Madonna single.[144] Something to Remember, a collection of ballads, was released in
November 1995. The album featured three new songs: "You'll See", "One More
Chance", and a cover of Marvin Gaye's "I Want You".[49][145] An enthusiastic collector
of modern art, Madonna sponsored the first major retrospective of Tina Modotti's work
at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1995.[146] The following year, she sponsored an
exhibition of Basquiat's paintings at the Serpentine Gallery in London.[147] The following
year, she sponsored artist Cindy Sherman's retrospective at the MoMA in New York.[148]
This is the role I was born to play. I put everything of me into this because it was much more than a role in a movie. It was
exhilarating and intimidating at the same time. And I am prouder of Evita than anything else I have done.
—Madonna talking about her role in Evita[149]

In February 1996, Madonna began filming the musical Evita in Argentina.[150] For a long

time, Madonna had desired to play Argentine political leader Eva Perón and wrote to
director Alan Parker to explain why she would be perfect for the part. After securing the
title role, she received vocal coaching and learned about the history of Argentina and
Perón. During filming Madonna became ill several times, after finding out that she was
pregnant, and from the intense emotional effort required with the scenes. [151] Upon Evita's
release in December 1996, Madonna's performance received praise from film critics. [152]
[153][154]
 Zach Conner of Time magazine remarked, "It's a relief to say that Evita is pretty
damn fine, well cast and handsomely visualized. Madonna once again confounds our
expectations."[155] For the role, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in
Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.[156]
The Evita soundtrack, containing songs mostly performed by Madonna, was released
as a double album.[157] It included "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina";
the latter reached number one in countries across Europe. [158] Madonna was presented
with the Artist Achievement Award by Tony Bennett at the 1996 Billboard Music Awards.
[159]
 On October 14, 1996, she gave birth to Lourdes "Lola" Maria Ciccone Leon, her
daughter with fitness trainer Carlos Leon.[160][161] Biographer Mary Cross writes that
although Madonna often worried that her pregnancy would harm Evita, she reached
some important personal goals: "Now 38 years old, Madonna had at last triumphed on
screen and achieved her dream of having a child, both in the same year. She had
reached another turning point in her career, reinventing herself and her image with the
public."[162] Her relationship with Carlos Leon ended in May 1997 and she declared that
they were "better off as best friends".[163][164]
1998–2002: Ray of Light, Music, second marriage, and touring
comeback
Madonna playing guitar during 2001's Drowned World Tour, the most lucrative concert tour of the year by a
solo artist

After Lourdes's birth, Madonna became involved in Eastern mysticism and Kabbalah,

introduced to her by actress Sandra Bernhard.[165] Her seventh studio album, Ray of
Light, (1998) reflected this change in her perception and image. [166][167] She collaborated
with electronica producer William Orbit and wanted to create a sound that could blend
dance music with pop and British rock.[168] American music critic Ann Powers explained
that what Madonna searched for with Orbit "was a kind of a lushness that she wanted
for this record. Techno and rave were happening in the 90s and had a lot of different
forms. There was very experimental, more hard stuff like Aphex Twin. There was party
stuff like Fatboy Slim. That's not what Madonna wanted for this. She wanted something
more like a singer-songwriter, really. And William Orbit provided her with that." [168]
The album garnered critical acclaim, with Slant Magazine calling it "one of the great pop
masterpieces of the '90s"[169] Ray of Light was honored with four Grammy Awards—
including Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording—and was nominated for
both Album of the Year and Record of the Year.[170] Rolling Stone listed it among "The
500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[171] Commercially, the album peaked at number-one in
numerous countries and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide.[172] The album's
lead single, "Frozen", became Madonna's first single to debut at number one in the UK,
while in the U.S. it became her sixth number-two single, setting another record for
Madonna as the artist with the most number-two hits. [49][173] The second single, "Ray of
Light", debuted at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.[174] The 1998 edition of Guinness
Book of World Records documented that "no female artist has sold more records than
Madonna around the world".[175]
Madonna founded Ray of Light Foundation which focused on women, education, global
development and humanitarian.[176] She recorded the single "Beautiful Stranger" for the
1999 film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, which earned her a Grammy
Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
[115]
 Madonna starred in the 2000 comedy-drama film The Next Best Thing, directed
by John Schlesinger. The film opened at number two on the U.S. box office with $5.9
million grossed in its first week, but this quickly diminished. [177] She also contributed two
songs to the film's soundtrack—a cover of Don McLean's 1971 song "American Pie"
and an original song "Time Stood Still"—the former became her ninth UK number-one
single.[178]
Madonna released her eighth studio album, Music, in September 2000. It featured
elements from the electronica-inspired Ray of Light era, and like its predecessor,
received acclaim from critics. Collaborating with French producer Mirwais Ahmadzaï,
Madonna commented: "I love to work with the weirdos that no one knows about—the
people who have raw talent and who are making music unlike anyone else out
there. Music is the future of sound."[179] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic felt that
"Music blows by in a kaleidoscopic rush of color, technique, style and substance. It has
so many depth and layers that it's easily as self-aware and earnest as Ray of
Light."[180] The album took the number-one position in more than 20 countries worldwide
and sold four million copies in the first ten days. [170] In the U.S., Music debuted at the top,
and became her first number-one album in eleven years since Like a Prayer.[181] It
produced three singles: the Hot 100 number-one "Music", "Don't Tell Me", and "What It
Feels Like for a Girl".[49] The music video of "What It Feels Like for a Girl" depicted
Madonna committing acts of crime and vandalism, and was banned by MTV and VH1.[182]
Madonna met director Guy Ritchie in the summer of 1998, and gave birth to their son
Rocco John Ritchie in Los Angeles on August 11, 2000. [183] Rocco and Madonna suffered
complications from the birth due to her experiencing placenta praevia.[184] He was
christened at Dornoch Cathedral in Dornoch, Scotland, on December 21, 2000.
[185]
 Madonna married Ritchie the following day at nearby Skibo Castle.[186][187] After an
eight-year absence from touring, Madonna started her Drowned World Tour in June
2001.[85] The tour visited cities in the U.S. and Europe and was the highest-grossing
concert tour of the year by a solo artist, earning $75 million from 47 sold-out shows.
[188]
 She also released her second greatest-hits collection, GHV2, which compiled 15
singles during the second decade of her recording career. The album debuted at
number seven on the Billboard 200 and sold seven million units worldwide.[189][190]
Madonna starred in the film Swept Away, directed by Ritchie. Released direct-to-
video in the UK, the film was a commercial and critical failure. [191] In May 2002 she
appeared in London in the West End play Up For Grabs at the Wyndhams
Theatre (billed as 'Madonna Ritchie'), to universally bad reviews and was described as
"the evening's biggest disappointment" by one. [192][193] That October, she released "Die
Another Day", the title song of the James Bond film Die Another Day, in which she had
a cameo role, described by Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian as "incredibly wooden".
[194]
 The song reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for both
a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst
Original Song.[49]
2003–2006: American Life and Confessions on a Dance Floor
Madonna again broke records in 2004, when her Re-Invention concert tour was named the year's highest-
grossing.

In 2003, Madonna collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein for an exhibition

installation named X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS, which ran from March to May in New
York's Deitch Projects gallery and also traveled the world in an edited form. [195] The same
year, Madonna released her ninth studio album, American Life, which was based on her
observations of American society.[196] She explained that the record was "like a trip down
memory lane, looking back at everything I've accomplished and all the things I once
valued and all the things that were important to me." Larry Flick from The Advocate felt
that "American Life is an album that is among her most adventurous and lyrically
intelligent" while condemning it as "a lazy, half-arsed effort to sound and take her
seriously."[197][198] The original music video of its title track caused controversy due to its
violence and anti-war imagery, and was withdrawn after the 2003 invasion of
Iraq started. Madonna voluntarily censored herself for the first time in her career due to
the political climate of the country, saying that "there was a lynch mob mentality that
was going on that wasn't pretty and I have children to protect." [199] The song stalled at
number 37 on the Hot 100,[49] while the album became her lowest-selling album at that
point with four million copies worldwide. [200]
Madonna gave another provocative performance later that year at the 2003 MTV Video
Music Awards, when she kissed singers Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while
singing the track "Hollywood".[201][202] In October 2003, she provided guest vocals on
Spears' single "Me Against the Music".[203] It was followed with the release of Remixed &
Revisited. The EP contained remixed versions of songs from American Life and
included "Your Honesty", a previously unreleased track from the Bedtime
Stories recording sessions.[204] Madonna also signed a contract with Callaway Arts &
Entertainment to be the author of five children's books. The first of these books,
titled The English Roses, was published in September 2003. The story was about four
English schoolgirls and their envy and jealousy of each other. [205] The book debuted at
the top of The New York Times Best Seller list and became the fastest-selling children's
picture book of all time.[206] Madonna donated all of its proceeds to a children's charity. [207]
The next year Madonna and Maverick sued Warner Music Group and its former parent
company Time Warner, claiming that mismanagement of resources and poor
bookkeeping had cost the company millions of dollars. In return, Warner filed a
countersuit alleging that Maverick had lost tens of millions of dollars on its own. [127][208] The
dispute was resolved when the Maverick shares, owned by Madonna and Ronnie
Dashev, were purchased by Warner. Madonna and Dashev's company became a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Warner Music, but Madonna was still signed to Warner
under a separate recording contract. [127]
In mid-2004, Madonna embarked on the Re-Invention World Tour in the U.S., Canada,
and Europe. It became the highest-grossing tour of 2004, earning around $120 million
and became the subject of her documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret.[209][210] In
November 2004, she was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame as one of its five
founding members, along with the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, and U2.[211] Rolling
Stone ranked her at number 36 on its special issue of the 100 Greatest Artists of All
Time, featuring an article about her written by Britney Spears. [212] In January 2005,
Madonna performed a cover version of the John Lennon song "Imagine" at Tsunami
Aid.[213] She also performed at the Live 8 benefit concert in London in July 2005.[214]
When I wrote American Life, I was very agitated by what was going on in the world around me, ... I was angry. I had a lot to get
off my chest. I made a lot of political statements. But now, I feel that I just want to have fun; I want to dance; I want to feel
buoyant. And I want to give other people the same feeling. There's a lot of madness in the world around us, and I want people to
be happy.
—Madonna talking about Confessions on a Dance Floor.[215]

Her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, was released in November

2005. Musically the album was structured like a club set composed by a DJ. It was
acclaimed by critics, with Keith Caulfield from Billboard commenting that the album was
a "welcome return to form for the Queen of Pop." [216] The album won a Grammy Award
for Best Electronic/Dance Album.[115] Confessions on a Dance Floor and its lead single,
"Hung Up", went on to reach number one in 40 and 41 countries respectively, earning a
place in Guinness World Records.[217] The song contained a sample of ABBA's "Gimme!
Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", only the second time that ABBA has allowed
their work to be used. ABBA songwriter Björn Ulvaeus remarked "It is a wonderful track
—100 per cent solid pop music."[218] "Sorry", the second single, became Madonna's
twelfth number-one single in the UK.[67]
Madonna embarked on the Confessions Tour in May 2006, which had a global audience
of 1.2 million and grossed over $193.7 million, becoming the highest-grossing tour to
that date for a female artist.[219] Madonna used religious symbols, such as
the crucifix and Crown of Thorns, in the performance of "Live to Tell". It caused
the Russian Orthodox Church and the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia to
urge all their members to boycott her concert. [220] At the same time, the International
Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) announced officially that Madonna had
sold over 200 million copies of her albums alone worldwide. [221]
While on tour Madonna founded charitable organization Raising Malawi and partially
funded an orphanage in and traveling to that country. [222] While there, she decided to
adopt a boy named David Banda in October 2006. [223] The adoption raised strong public
reaction, because Malawian law requires would-be parents to reside in Malawi for one
year before adopting, which Madonna did not do. [224] She addressed this on The Oprah
Winfrey Show, saying that there were no written adoption laws in Malawi that regulated
foreign adoption. Madonna described how Banda had been suffering
from pneumonia after surviving malaria and tuberculosis when they first met.[225] Banda's
biological father, Yohane, commented, "These so-called human rights activists are
harassing me every day, threatening me that I am not aware of what I am doing ... They
want me to support their court case, a thing I cannot do for I know what I agreed with
Madonna and her husband." The adoption was finalized in May 2008. [226][227]
2007–2011: Filmmaking, Hard Candy, and business ventures

With a reported final gross of $411 million ($519.12 in 2021 dollars[228]), 2008–2009's Sticky & Sweet Tour was,
at the time, the highest-earning concert tour.

Madonna released and performed the song "Hey You" at the London Live Earth
concert in July 2007.[229] She announced her departure from Warner Bros. Records, and
declared a new $120 million, ten-year 360 deal with Live Nation.[230] In 2008, Madonna
produced and wrote I Am Because We Are, a documentary on the problems faced by
Malawians; it was directed by Nathan Rissman, who worked as Madonna's gardener.
[231]
 She also directed her first film, Filth and Wisdom. The plot of the film revolved around
three friends and their aspirations. The Times said she had "done herself proud"
while The Daily Telegraph described the film as "not an entirely unpromising first effort
[but] Madonna would do well to hang on to her day job." [232][233] On March 10, 2008,
Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.
[234]
 She did not sing at the ceremony but asked fellow Hall of Fame inductees and
Michigan natives the Stooges to perform her songs "Burning Up" and "Ray of Light". [235]
Madonna released her eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, in April 2008.
Containing R&B and urban pop influences, the songs on Hard Candy were
autobiographical in nature and saw Madonna collaborating with Justin
Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Nate "Danja" Hills.[236] The album debuted
at number one in 37 countries and on the Billboard 200.[237][238] Caryn Ganz from Rolling
Stone complimented it as an "impressive taste of her upcoming tour", [239] while BBC
correspondent Mark Savage panned it as "an attempt to harness the urban market". [240]
"4 Minutes" was released as the album's lead single and peaked at number three on
the Billboard Hot 100. It was Madonna's 37th top-ten hit on the chart and pushed her
past Elvis Presley as the artist with the most top-ten hits.[241] In the UK she retained her
record for the most number-one singles for a female artist; "4 Minutes" becoming her
thirteenth.[242] At the 23rd Japan Gold Disc Awards, Madonna received her fifth Artist of
the Year trophy from Recording Industry Association of Japan, the most for any artist.
[243]
 To further promote the album, she embarked on the Sticky & Sweet Tour, her first
major venture with Live Nation. With a total gross of $408 million, it ended up as the
second highest-grossing tour of all time, behind the Rolling Stones's A Bigger Bang
Tour.[244] It remained the highest-grossing tour by a solo artist until Roger Waters' the
Wall Live surpassed it in 2013.[245]

Written for her directorial debut W.E., "Masterpiece" earned Madonna a Golden Globe Award for Best Original
Song in 2012.

In July 2008, Christopher Ciccone released a book titled Life with My Sister Madonna,

which caused a rift between Madonna and him, because of unsolicited publication. [246] By
fall, Madonna filed for divorce from Ritchie, citing irreconcilable differences. [247] In
December 2008, Madonna's spokesperson announced that Madonna had agreed to a
divorce settlement with Ritchie, the terms of which granted him between £50–60 million
($68.49–82.19 million), a figure that included the couple's London pub and residence
and Wiltshire estate in England.[248] The marriage was dissolved by District Judge Reid
by decree nisi at the clinical Principal Registry of the Family Division in High Holborn,
London. They entered a compromise agreement for Rocco and David, then aged eight
and three respectively, and divided the children's time between Ritchie's London home
and Madonna's in New York, where the two were joined by Lourdes. [249][250] Soon after,
Madonna applied to adopt Chifundo "Mercy" James from Malawi in May 2009, but the
country's High Court rejected the application because Madonna was not a resident
there.[251] She re-appealed, and on June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court of Malawi granted
her the right to adopt Mercy.[252]
Madonna concluded her contract with Warner by releasing her third greatest-hits
album, Celebration, in September 2009. It contained the new songs "Celebration" and
"Revolver" along with 34 hits spanning her musical career with the label.
[253]
 Celebration reached number one in several countries, including Canada, Germany,
Italy, and the United Kingdom.[254] She appeared at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to
speak in tribute to deceased pop singer Michael Jackson.[255] Madonna ended the 2000s
as the bestselling single artist of the decade in the U.S. and the most-played artist of the
decade in the UK.[256][257] Billboard also announced her as the third top-touring artist of the
decade—behind only the Rolling Stones and U2—with a gross of over $801 million,
6.3 million attendance and 244 sell-outs of 248 shows. [258]
Madonna performed at the Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake
Relief concert in January 2010.[259] Her third live album, Sticky & Sweet Tour, was
released in April, debuting at number ten on the Billboard 200.[58] It also became her 20th
top-ten on the Oricon Albums Chart, breaking the Beatles' record for the most top-ten
album by an international act in Japan.[260] Madonna granted American television
show, Glee, the rights to her entire catalog of music, and the producers created an
episode featuring her songs exclusively.[261] She also collaborated with Lourdes and
released the Material Girl clothing line, inspired by her punk-girl style when she rose to
fame in the 1980s.[262] In October, she opened a series of fitness centers around the
world named Hard Candy Fitness,[263] and three months later unveiled a second fashion
brand called Truth or Dare which included footwear, perfumes, underclothing, and
accessories.[264]
Madonna directed her second feature film, W.E., a biographical account about the affair
between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Co-written with Alek Keshishian, the film
was premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in September 2011.
[265]
 Critical and commercial response to the film was negative. [266][267] Madonna contributed
the ballad "Masterpiece" for the film's soundtrack, which won her a Golden Globe Award
for Best Original Song.[268]
2012–2017: Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, MDNA, and Rebel
Heart

Madonna, joined by Cee Lo Green and a marching band, performing during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime
show on February 5, 2012

In February 2012, Madonna headlined the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show at the Lucas
Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.[269] Her performance was visualized by Cirque Du
Soleil and Jamie King and featured special guests LMFAO, Nicki
Minaj, M.I.A. and CeeLo Green. It became the then most-watched Super Bowl halftime
show in history with 114 million viewers, higher than the game itself. [270] During the event,
she performed "Give Me All Your Luvin'", the lead single from her twelfth studio
album, MDNA. It became her record-extending 38th top-ten single on the Billboard Hot
100.[271]
MDNA was released in March 2012 and saw collaboration with various producers,
including William Orbit and Martin Solveig.[272] It was her first release under her three-
album deal with Interscope Records, which she signed as a part of her 360 deal with
Live Nation.[273] She was signed to the record label since Live Nation was unable to
distribute music recordings.[274] MDNA became Madonna's fifth consecutive studio record
to debut at the top of the Billboard 200.[275] The album was mostly promoted by the
MDNA Tour, which lasted from May to December 2012.[276] The tour featured
controversial subjects such as violence, firearms, human rights, nudity and politics. With
a gross of $305.2 million from 88 sold-out shows, it became the highest-grossing tour of
2012 and then-tenth highest-grossing tour of all time. [277] Madonna was named the top-
earning celebrity of the year by Forbes, earning an estimated $125 million.[278]
Madonna collaborated with Steven Klein and directed a 17-minute
film, secretprojectrevolution, which was released on BitTorrent in September 2013.
[279]
 With the film she launched the Art for Freedom initiative, which helped to promote
"art and free speech as a means to address persecution and injustice across the globe".
The website for the project included over 3,000 art related submissions since its
inception, with Madonna regularly monitoring and enlisting other artists like David
Blaine and Katy Perry as guest curators.[280]
By 2013, Madonna's Raising Malawi had built ten schools to educate 4,000 children in
Malawi at a value of $400,000.[281] When Madonna visited the schools in April
2013, President of Malawi Joyce Banda accused her of exaggerating the charity's
contribution.[282] Madonna was saddened by Banda's statement, but clarified that she had
"no intention of being distracted by these ridiculous allegations". It was later confirmed
that Banda had not approved the statement released by her press team. [283] Madonna
also visited her hometown Detroit during May 2014 and donated funds to help with the
city's bankruptcy.[284] The same year, her business ventures extended to skin
care products with the launch of MDNA Skin in Tokyo, Japan.[285]
Madonna's thirteenth studio album, Rebel Heart, was released in March 2015, three
months after its thirteen demos leaked onto the Internet.[286] Unlike her previous efforts,
which involved only a few people, Madonna worked with a large number of
collaborators, including Avicii, Diplo and Kanye West.[287][288] Introspection was listed as
one of the foundational themes prevalent on the record, along with "genuine statements
of personal and careerist reflection". [289] Madonna explained to Jon Pareles of The New
York Times that although she has never looked back at her past endeavors, reminiscing
about it felt right for Rebel Heart.[290] Music critics responded positively towards the
album, calling it her best effort in a decade. [291]
With 2015–2016's Rebel Heart Tour, Madonna extended her record as the highest-grossing solo touring artist
with total gross of $1.131 billion; a record that began with 1990's Blond Ambition World Tour.

From September 2015 to March 2016, Madonna embarked on the Rebel Heart Tour to
promote the album. The tour traveled throughout North America, Europe and Asia and
was Madonna's first visit to Australia in 23 years, where she also performed a one-off
show for her fans.[292][293] Rebel Heart Tour grossed a total of $169.8 million from the 82
shows, with over 1.045 million ticket sales.[294] While on tour, Madonna became engaged
in a legal battle with Ritchie, over the custody of their son Rocco. The dispute started
when Rocco decided to continue living in England with Ritchie when the tour had visited
there, while Madonna wanted him to travel with her. Court hearings took place in both
New York and London. After multiple deliberations, Madonna withdrew her application
for custody and decided to resolve the matter privately. [295]
In October 2016, Billboard named Madonna its Woman of the Year. Her "blunt and
brutally honest" speech about ageism and sexism at the ceremony received widespread
coverage in the media.[296][297] The next month Madonna, who actively supported Hillary
Clinton during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, performed an impromptu acoustic
concert at Washington Square Park in support of Clinton's campaign.[298] Upset
that Donald Trump won the election, Madonna spoke out against him at the Women's
March on Washington, a day after his inauguration.[299] She sparked controversy when
she said that she "thought a lot about blowing up the White House". [300] The following
day, Madonna asserted she was "not a violent person" and that her words had been
"taken wildly out of context".[301]
In February 2017, Madonna adopted four-year-old twin sisters from Malawi named
Estere and Stella,[302][303] and she moved to live in Lisbon, Portugal, in summer 2017 with
her adoptive children.[304] In July, she opened the Mercy James Institute for Pediatric
Surgery and Intensive Care in Malawi, a children's hospital built by her Raising Malawi
charity.[305] The live album chronicling the Rebel Heart Tour was released in September
2017, and won Best Music Video for Western Artists at the 32nd Japan Gold Disc
Award.[306][307] That month, Madonna launched MDNA Skin in select stores in the United
States.[308] A few months earlier, the auction house Gotta Have Rock and Roll had put up
Madonna's personal items like love letters from Tupac Shakur, cassettes, underwear
and a hairbrush for sale. Darlene Lutz, an art dealer who had initiated the auction, was
sued by Madonna's representatives to stop the proceedings. Madonna clarified that her
celebrity status "does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard
to highly personal items". Madonna lost the case and the presiding judge ruled in favor
of Lutz who was able to prove that in 2004 Madonna made a legal agreement with her
for selling the items.[309]
2018–present: Madame X, catalog reissues, and The Celebration
Tour

Madonna performing during one of the dates of the Madame X Tour

While living in Lisbon, Madonna met Dino D'Santiago, who introduced her to many local
musicians playing fado, morna, and samba music. They regularly invited her to their
"living room sessions", thus she was inspired to make her 14th studio album, Madame
X.[310] Madonna produced the album with several musicians, primarily her longtime
collaborator Mirwais and Mike Dean.[311] The album was critically well received,
with NME deeming it "bold, bizarre, self-referential and unlike anything Madonna has
ever done before."[312] Released in June 2019, Madame X debuted atop
the Billboard 200, becoming her ninth number-one album there. [313] All four of its singles
—"Medellín", "Crave", "I Rise", and "I Don't Search I Find"—topped the Billboard Dance
Club Songs chart, extending her record for most number-one entries on the chart. [314]
The previous month, Madonna appeared as the interval act at the Eurovision Song
Contest 2019 and performed "Like a Prayer", and then "Future" with rapper Quavo.
[315]
 Her Madame X Tour, an all-theatre tour in select cities across North America and
Europe, began on September 17, 2019. In addition to much smaller venues compared
to her previous tours, she implemented a no-phone policy in order to maximize the
intimacy of the concert.[316] According to Pollstar, the tour earned $51.4 million in ticket
sales.[317] That December, Madonna started dating Ahlamalik Williams, a dancer who
began accompanying her on the Rebel Heart Tour in 2015. [318][319] However, the Madame
X Tour faced several cancellations due to her recurring knee injury, and eventually
ended abruptly on March 8, 2020, three days before its planned final date, after the
French government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people due to COVID-19
pandemic.[320][321] She later admitted to testing positive for coronavirus antibodies,[322] and
donated $1 million to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help fund research creating
a new vaccine.[323]
Madonna and Missy Elliott provided guest vocals on Dua Lipa's single "Levitating", from
Lipa's 2020 remix album Club Future Nostalgia.[324] She also started work on a film biopic
about her life, which she intended to direct. [325] Erin Cressida Wilson and Diablo
Cody worked on the script at various points and Julia Garner was cast as Madonna
before the project was abandoned. [325][326][327][328] Madonna released Madame X, a
documentary film chronicling the tour of the same name, on Paramount+ in October
2021.[329] On her 63rd birthday, she officially announced her return to Warner in a global
partnership which grants the label her entire recorded music catalog, including the last
three albums released under Interscope. Under the contract, Madonna launched a
series of catalog reissues beginning in 2022, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of
her recording career. A remix album titled Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones was
released on August 19, with an 16-track abridged edition being available for streaming
since June 24.[330] Consisting of her 50 number-one songs on Billboard's Dance Club
Songs chart, the remix album highlighted "how meaningful dance music has always
been" to Madonna's career, and became her 23rd top-ten album on the Billboard 200.[331]
[332]

In September 2022, Madonna released "Hung Up on Tokischa", a remix of "Hung Up",

featuring rapper Tokischa. The song utilizes dembow.[333][334] On December 29, 2022,
Madonna released the demo version of "Back That Up to the Beat" to all digital outlets.
The song was originally recorded in 2015 sessions, with an alternative version being
released on the deluxe 2-CD version of her 2019 Madame X album.[335]
In January 2023, Madonna announced the Celebration Tour, her first greatest hits
concert tour, which will run from July 2023 to January 2024 with special guest Bob the
Drag Queen.[336] In March, it was announced that Madonna will collaborate on three
songs of the Christine and the Queens album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love.[337]